Rice Alumnus Wayne Riley Named Meharry Medical College President

Dr. Wayne Riley to Lead Prestigious Medical College

HOUSTON, November 30, 2006—Dr. Wayne J. Riley, M.D. (Rice MBA '02), has been named the tenth president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, the nation’s largest private, historically black institution dedicated to educating healthcare professionals. His new post is effective January 1, 2007. Riley earned an MBA for Executives from Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management—currently he is an adjunct professor in the practice of management and the director of healthcare in the Jones School’s Executive Education program and plans to retain his appointment as a Rice adjunct faculty member.

“The Jones School is very proud of Dr. Riley who demonstrates exceptional leadership and employs education as a foundation for creating positive changes,” said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones Graduate School of Management. “On behalf of the Jones School, I’d like to wish him well as the new president of Meharry College.”

In addition to receiving his MBA from Rice, Riley is a 1993 graduate of the Morehouse School of Medicine and completed his residency training in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in 1996. As the vice president and vice dean for health affairs and governmental relations for Baylor College of Medicine, he is the first African-American corporate officer in the school’s 103-year-old history.

He also holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a concentration in medical anthropology from Yale University and a master of public health degree from Tulane University.

“I’m humbled and honored to accept the presidency of one of the nation’s premier independent academic health science centers,” Riley said. “As the son of a Meharry graduate, I feel a special sense of connectedness to, and strong support for, Meharry’s unique role and strong legacy of educating and training physicians, dentists, clinical investigators and public health professionals who are imbued with a strong commitment to serving the interests of medically underserved communities.”

Riley has received numerous honors including the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Baylor College of Medicine's Fulbright & Jaworski Faculty Excellence award for Educational leadership and was inducted into the BCM Academy of Distinguished Educators.

Riley is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine, and was elected as a fellow in the ACP in 1999. He currently serves as vice chair of the boards of directors of both Catholic Charities in Houston and the Baylor College of Medicine Federal Credit Union.